How Come There Aren't Any Christian TV Shows?

Great Debates
61

As far as I can tell, nobody has yet mentioned the '70’s sitcom All in the Family—Archie Bunker, remember him?—which gave the (religiously and otherwise) conservative Archie an openly atheist son-in-law, and had the two of them dealing with some pretty central religious issues from time to time (as when Archie secretly took his grandson to be baptized against his daughter’s and son-in-law’s wishes; now if that’s not an issue for a “Christian” TV show, I don’t know what would be!).

So the suggested answers to Bill’s question seem to be:

  1. There are (or have recently been) TV shows with explicitly Christian characters and themes.

  2. Getting into questions of Christian doctrine would be too controversial for sponsors.

  3. Restricting the show’s focus to a group of Christian protagonists would lose viewers of other faiths.

All of these sound reasonable, and here’s another one: Christianity (as practiced by the Christians I know best, at least) is somewhat antagonistic to consumer culture and materialism as a road to happiness. Why on earth would advertisers want to sponsor that kind of subversive thinking? Wouldn’t they find it a little awkward to cut from the scene where Cousin Jenny is having a yard sale to get rid of all her possessions before she goes off to join a Sudanese mission, right to a commercial for the latest gas-guzzling SUV? “Yes, Cousin Jenny is a self-sacrificing loser, but you can indulge your worldly desires in the new Ford Excrescence!” Noper, I don’t think we’re gonna be seeing a deeply thought-out, intelligent family drama from a serious Christian perspective on network TV any time soon.

62

Wildest, I’ve been twisting this around in my mind and can’t think of a good “hook” or “situation” that would keep this show on the air for more than a few episodes and not eventually degenerate into stereotypes.

Your premise is that a good Christian family (of whichever demonination) faces a rather antagonist world. I can only think of two ways (via the wonderful medium of TV) that such a premise could be sustained:

Premise #1 Good Christian Family (GCF) has new neighbors move in next door. It eventually comes out that neighbors are of X brand of faith. But then, what happens? A conversion? LOTS of people would see that as morally shameful. In other words, only people who are of the same faith can really live next to each other. Or you could have an intense discussion and comparision of the tenets of the respective faith. It’s intellectual but hardly good TV, lots of viewers would tune out after 15 mins. Even if that conflict is resolved, what happens next? Same thing next week?

Premise #2) GCF are missionaries who move to an obscure part of the world to help the natives survive. After a few episodes of “Americans learning to in a 3rd world culture” what do you do? I can’t see this going on for long before it degenerates into conversions, which I maintain would be distasteful or arguements about faith which would bore audiences to tears.

If anyone else has had any other ideas, I’d like to hear 'em!

63

From the beginning, I admitted that the MPAA has no enforcement powers. In fact the entire ratings system is voluntary, and I don’t think a theater has broken any laws even if it lets unaccompanied minors into an R-rated movie.

But that is besides the point which I was making, which is that it is hypocritical for the industry to voluntarily accept a system which labels a certain movie as intended for adults, and then market that same movie towards children. Enforcement power has nothing to do with it. The question is violation of their own voluntaryily-accepted standards.

64

Man, you guys. You are missing an easy target.

I’d be willing to bet that at least 90% of shows that were on for a full year had a Christmas special. These invariably show families involved in the celebration of the birth of Christ. So, by extrapolation, they celebrate Christ, and this makes them Christians. [sarcasm] Even more so, it usually portrays the season in a positive light, which must serve to influence the impressionable that Christianity is a good thing. And due to the obvious and immutable link between sex and violence and television can we not propose the reciprocal link that television promotes Christianity by portraying gratuitous positive Christmas imagery starting in mid September? [/sarcasm]

Has anybody seen the “Peanuts” Christmas special? I seem to remember the Nativity Play or whatever (I got the J double-O J double-O style over here) where they had the whole Birth of the Lord thing going pretty strong…

65

I woul like to see your anti-little house agruments, but I’m afraid I have little to say on the subject. The books were much better.

66

I don’t really have anything to add to the debate, just an anectode.

My ex is a practicing Wiccan, and will go out of her way to support anything that’s not Christian. She watches every TV show there is that deals with the supernatural, be it sci-fi like Star Trek or dreck like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Once, when subjected to sitting through an episode of Charmed with her, I asked: “Is there any show on TV that deals with the supernatural or that which is not physically known that you won’t watch?”

She thought about this for a minute, and then replied: Touched by an Angel.

67

Speaking of Scully, does anyone else find it odd that the most sceptic character on TV is a Christian?

68

Whoops, I hadn’t noticed this thread had a second page. My post referred to the last post on the first page.

69

“Little House” was doomed as soon as they stopped caring that all of the younger male cast members were wearing their own 70’s parted-in-the-middle then feathered-back-on-each-side hairstyles on the show. :wink:

The Plain People are Christians, and although obviously you’ll never get any Old Order Mennonite TV vixens there was “Aaron’s Way”, with Merlin Olson as an Amishman who moved to California with his family when some other family member died. Their values came in conflict with the larger culture a lot and they stuck to them anyway. It was a bit simplistic–the opening credits had Aaron standing slack-jawed with amazement as a plane passed overhead, and Amish are not isolated New Guinea tribesmen–but it worked in its own clunky way.

The most graceful and well-done example of a show that made a point about Christianity to me is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.

How about the crime dramas? The religion (usually Catholicism as it happens) of several of the characters on “Law & Order” often figures tangentially in the show. Logan, Cerreta, Greevey, McCoy, Stone, Curtis, etc. all were shaped by it, even though some of them were lapsed.

And of course poor old “Homicide” had one of the most brilliant and earnest depictions of a man in a deep spiritual conflict trying to reconcile his Catholicism with the horrific nature of what he would see in his work, most explicitly in the White Gloves Murders trilogy. I’d offer Frank Pembleton as Exhibit 1 of a story arc about “Christianity in the workplace”. If it counts, that is. I’m from NYC and I always thought we mackeral-snappers counted as Christians, but…

A few weeks ago at the Green Dragon Market in Pennsylvania Dutch Country I saw a sight that I’ve seen every summer for the twenty years I’ve been going there–those damn Chick Tracts sold right next to the shoo-fly pies and flowery pot-holders, by beaming, matronly, white-capped Amish and Mennonite ladies. Shudder.

Hellbound Slave of the Scarlet Whore of Babylon, apparently,
Carolyn

70

Try this story concept, then.

Upscale apartment complex, say townhouses, in suburbia. Eight families in one building, interacting. One family is strong conservative Christian, maybe Baptist; one sincere UCC or Episcopalian or such, one quasi-nominal Catholic – attend Mass but not overly devout otherwise; one family not churchgoers but “officially” Methodist or Presbyterian; one family not involved with religion at all; one atheist, with some history of mistreatment by legalistic Christians. Then there’s a single guy and a divorced woman raising small children in two other townhouses.

Storylines revolve around their interaction. Their religious beliefs (or absence) enter into the stories “naturally.” There is no “preachiness” – just people making life decisions based in part on their beliefs. For example:
[li]Teenage boy from one family is dating girl from another. She gets pregnant. Abortion question. Concern, support, moral issues from neighbors.[/li][li]Conservative Christian family finds out why single guy is single. He’s been painted as friendly, supportive, a little reclusive – and, as it turns out, gay.[/li][li]Terminal illness of mother of non-churchgoing family brings that family face to face with reality of death, questions they haven’t asked themselves about life. Churchgoing families show what they’re made of.[/li][li]Divorced woman’s problems raising kids alone and involvement of neighbors. Might do a sidebar on gay neighbor befriending boy (aboveboard), suspicions of sexual attraction raised and cleared up.[/li]
The concept suffers from having no “lead characters” as defined, but focus can start with one family and grow to incorporate neighbors, a la how a new soap gets started. It does have the dramatic “grab” to attract viewers, due to the interplay between the families, and the Christian theme Bill raised in his OP.

But it’d never fly with the networks. They want more realistic stuff, like a girl killing vampires between visits to the mall. :rolleyes:

71

I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous. You allege “vast majority” but then admit that you don’t really watch more than a single show (though admittedly one of the best ones out there).

I think what makes The Simpsons unique is that it’s willing to admit that a lot of people have religion in their lives, to one degree or another. Can you name another show that has the majority of the community attend church regularly, who interact with their minister, who quote the Bible, and who have other religions represented regularly as well (in the characters of Krusty and Apu)? I didn’t think so. Yet, that is what America looks like.

Even though a majority of the US population have some sort of religious affiliation, most characters in US network progamming don’t. It is interesting that there are (legitimate) complaints that minorities are under-represented in a lot of TV shows, but very few people mention that faith-based characters are equally under-represented.

Although I was out of the country for the most of last year, the reruns I’ve seen seem to indicate that The West Wing also admits to the spiritual lives of some of its characters, and even addresses some spiritual issues fairly even-handedly (though still with an obvious lean to the left). But what are the spiritual lives of the doctors in ER? The cops in NYPD Blue? The fun-loving members of Friends or Frasier? Statistically, there should be somebody devout in there somewhere, but nope.

I understand the concern that somehow throwing religion in the mix somehow means that there’s an agenda or a risk of becoming too preachy. But TV (and movies) tend to stereotype, demonize, or sentimentalize religion (though primarily the first two), when the public deserves–and for the most part can handle–better.

72

Thank you archive. Very well said and true.

And polycarp I think you came up with a very good show. And before anybody on this board says it wouldn’t work think about Christian topic in general on this board. There is usually always a ton of interest both in views and responses. I think that is paradigm in people’s mind that a Christian show wouldn’t work just like Rolex didn’t think a quartz watch would sell.

73

As if the registered members of the SDMB who contribute to those discussions are typical of the average American TV viewer. Think about it.

74

And why no programs about atheists eh?
Heres a story
bout a woman named Maddy
who was bringing up a wacky chrisitan son…

75

Do it as a cartoon, Vanilla…a family of rabbits called the O’"Hares! :smiley:

76

**Polycarp wrote:

Storylines revolve around their interaction. Their religious beliefs (or absence) enter into the stories “naturally.” There is no “preachiness” – just people making life decisions based in part of their beliefs. For example:

Teenage boy from one family is dating girl from another. She gets pregnant. Abortion question. Concern, support, moral issues from neighbors.

Conservative Christian family finds out why single guy is single. He’s been painted as friendly, supportive, a little reclusive – and, as it turns out, gay.

Terminal illness of mother of non-churchgoing family brings that family face to face with reality of death, questions they haven’t asked themselves about life. Churchgoing families show what they’re made of.

Divorced woman’s problems raising kids alone and involvement of neighbors. Might do a sidebar on gay neighbor befriending boy (aboveboard), suspicions of sexual attraction raised and cleared up.**

I agree with all of this, but see an issue of how each problem is resovled. For example, with the gay neighbor, if the conservative family attempts to convert the guy and fail, you’ll loose the viewer base you were originally tryig to reach. If he is converted and gives up his homosexuality (for the purposes of the show, we’ll assume this) gay rights groups would be similarly outraged. The same with abortion issue.

Either way you write it, someone’s going to get outraged. If you shy away from the controversy, the show falls into formulaic plots and becomes as exciting as low-fat mayo on Wonder ® bread. Either way, you end up offending your target group (the people the show is aimed at) or you offend just about everyone else. I think it could be done, but you’ll need some REALLY talented writers.

On an upnote, after the various Star Trek shows (excepting Classic Trek), an ensemble cast can be shown to work and work well. You don’t need a strong central character, tho it does help.

Honestly, I think you and Wildest Bill have a viable idea here. Start writing up some scripts, hire an agent and start pitching. Who knows, your names might be rolling across the screen for the Fall Season of 2001.

77

Here is the link the MPAA ratings: http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/

78

Freyr: Just for a silly-a$$ idea, how about if neither gets “converted” in any sense, but they all learn something about tolerance and acceptance, and human caring, from the ordeal?

Now there’s a controversial story line!

79

The Robe, The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and quite a few others are on every year at the appropriate season, at least in my neck of the woods.
By the way, Wildest Bill, if you’re trying to count the ‘witch’ shows as Wiccan or Pagan or some such, then we get to count all of the previously mentioned shows as explicitly Christian. Those ‘witch’ shows have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with religion (except in the sense that some Christians object to their existence).

I’m not sure if that’s what you were trying to do or not, just wanted to make the point.
As a non-Christian in Middle America ™, I can assure you that the majority of people around here DO assume that everyone (including TV characters) is Christian unless explicitly stated otherwise.

80

I second this view. However, the real reason is that the show hypothesized by Wildest Bill would be incredibly boring and no one would watch it. Religion, at least the Christian religion, can’t be confused with entertainment. Bill seems to want some blending of the two, and that generally doesn’t work to any extent aside from gospel choirs. “Fun” doesn’t come to mind when I think of sermons, so I can’t imagine why I’d want to watch one on television instead of “Popular”.

I remember being so bored during church sermons that I resorted to reading the Bible, of all things, where I came acrosss Judges 19. Now there’s a Bible chapter that would make a hit TV show…maybe it’s not so hopeless after all.